#nattiamjournal

[nattiam-us]

What is an Indoor Garden? Give a Breath to your Urban Home

Creative ideas for your urban indoor garden

Winter has an special feeling about being relaxed and comfortable at home, however, most of us dream about the time of year when spring and summer days arrives and brings us good weather, happiness, colors and flowers.

However, all those people who like plants, nature and a healthy environment do not want to enjoy it only a few months per year. They want to be able to have the possibility of smelling the fragrance of a rose or see the powerful red color of a petunia daily. For this reason, I have prepared this exciting post about how to build, grow and decorate your indoor urban garden to make it explode with powerful good vibes along the whole year. Are you ready? Let’s go!

Space

We all have in our house some little wasted corners where we don’t know which kind of decoration we can place because of two reasons: We don’t want to encumber our house with more useless things that don’t contribute with anything at all or we just couldn’t decide what we wanted to place in that space.

If you find yourself in any of these two alternatives, keep reading because along this post you are going to find several sustainable, colorful and nature alternatives to bring a new breath to your new home through indoor gardens.

Living room, kitchen, hall, study, or even the bathroom - in case you have enough light and space on it to place an indoor garden - is a perfect alternative to place this new trends that is getting stronger between people who look for more nature and sustainable solutions to their houses.

In this paragraph, I just have two recommendations: The first is DO NOT place this exotic indoor garden in any bedroom. And the second - and I advice you from my personal experience - is that one of the best places to integrate your new indoor garden is in the living room. Why? Easy! Through this, everybody will help to make it grow and your family will have a common project that will make you all proud of!

Choosing the plants

There are a lot of different plants that you can include in your trendy indoor garden, however, I have listed some of the most common varieties which are easy-to-adapt plants to indoor spaces. In that list, you can find four big plants varieties: Vegetables, Herbs, Flowers, Fruits.

Vegetables:

Peppers

Kale

Chard

Carrots

Onions

Tomatoes - focus on cherry types.

Beans, Bush

Herbs:

Basil

Cilantro

Parsley

Rosemary

Oregano

Chives

Lavender

Catmint

Flowers:

Geranium

Alyssum

Pansy

Marigold

Zinnia

Petunia

Roses

Begonia

Candytuft

Shasta Daisy

Fruits:

Strawberries

Apples - dwarf varieties

Citrus

Light

This is a very important aspect to consider before placing your new indoor garden. As you know, it is not always easy to choose the right place because there are a lot of different variants that can affect your plants, however, I recommend you to choose the place, and then, the variety of plants you are going to include depending on the place conditions.

It is not the same grow roses or tomatoes next to the window that in a less lighting place where they cannot receive the quantity of light they need.

First choose the place, and then, select the plants that will adapt the best to the place you have chosen.

Creative Ideas

This is the final and the most enjoyable step! You have chosen the place and the varieties you are going to include in your indoor garden, now is not the right moment to take a nicely break to have a look some creative visuals about sustainable solutions using wood, plants and love!

Of course, and before starting, I advice you will need some easy-to-use tools as a hammer, brush or painting! However, make sustainable and recycle things by ourselves include getting your hands fully dirty. I really enjoyed choosing colors and designs with my kids! Incorporate your family in the process, it will help you guys get you closer.

Wood Painted Vertical Garden

This design is a very easy-to-make indoor garden. You only need a piece of wood - I recommend you to use pinewood - because it is very easy to manipulate and it is very lightweight.

Painting Tip: Try to choose a color that's already present in the room where you are going to place it. Once you have this main color, you can look for alternative tones to complement it.

Hanging Plants Structure

This is one of my favorite designs. The reason is because you can use it to divide spaces - maybe your living room is too big and you want to separate it in two, or you just want to put it in front of a windows but still allow the light comes into your house.

This is a very versatile way and modern way to welcome new plants into your home, and of course, you can select whatever kind of plant you want on it. Imagine a red peppers plant, cherry tomatoes and a rose all together? Fantastic!

Hanging Herbs Plants Structure

It fits perfect in any kitchen in the entire world! Who do not want fresh herb plants in their kitchen and cook with them? It is the dream of anyone who likes to cook!

You only need some wood planks, good quality rope and some free time to build it. Once you dedicate a couple of hours to assemble it, you will be able to enjoy your fabulous fresh herbs plants to prepare delicious recipes for your family and friends with a useful and sustainable solution next to you!

Terrarium

This is one of the fastest ways to have a indoor garden without spending time building it. You only need to buy a terrarium, some nice plants, and put them into it.

[nattiam-us]

Can big data really help build better cities?

Why analyze and understand the flood of data that comes to us is key to cities and commercial real estate?

Real-time data, from energy cost information to customer happiness, are widely available. For investors looking to put their money to work, and companies looking for a place to settle, this can be a double-edged sword. Since any type of construction activity is, to some extent, harmful to the natural environment that surrounds it.

[nattiam-us]

Regenerative Agriculture: EcoFriendly Agriculture

We can ensure that, together with forestry and other land uses, agriculture is responsible for approximately 25 percent of all man-made GHG emissions.

But what is true is the great role it plays in ending this crisis, and creating a safe and sustainable future without carbon pollution. That is, to have the possibility of providing our growing world population with fresh and healthy food grown in a sustainable soil ecosystem.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has stated that taking advantage of the mitigation potential in the sector [Agriculture, forestry and other land uses] is extremely important to meet the emission reduction objectives.

What is Regenerative Agriculture?

Regenerative agriculture consists of a system of agricultural principles and practices to obtain the rehabilitation and improvement of the farm's ecosystem, providing greater health of the soil, with attention also to water management, fertilizer use and more.

It is an alternative method of cultivation, and that should be the only one, which manages to improve the resources it uses, instead of destroying or depleting them, according to the Rodale Institute.

Importance of Regenerative Agriculture

The long list of incredible benefits for farmers and their crops offered by this technique is evident, but also the practices of regenerative agriculture combat the climate crisis by extracting carbon from the atmosphere and sequestering it in the soil.

Regenerative agricultural practices give another benefit, and that is that they improve soil biodiversity and organic matter, which leads to soils that are more resistant to the impacts of climate change such as floods and droughts. As a consequence, these healthier soils generate strong yields and nutrient-rich crops, also reducing erosion and runoff, which improves the quality of water inside and outside the farm.

Dealing with Climate Change Impacts

The health and vitality of the soil everywhere, from the backyard garden of your house, to the largest farm, plays an integral role in food production, and is threatened by the climate crisis.

In addition to rising temperatures that are themselves changing where and how things can be grown, the climate crisis has fundamentally altered the water cycle around the world. The result is shifting precipitation patterns and increased evaporation that causes more-frequent powerful rainfall events and more severe droughts. In many areas, rainfall has become either increasingly abundant or in desperately short supply, relative to longtime averages. It’s a classic case of feast or famine.

Extreme downpours can cause contaminated runoff and erosion, because the soil does not have sufficient capacity to absorb precipitation at the rate at which it falls. And if a flood occurs, plants can drown. The other end of the spectrum can also occur, a smaller amount of rainfall, along with an increase in heat, which causes more and more drought and, in extreme circumstances, desertification can occur, leading to a complete loss of agricultural production in some areas.

As far as agriculture is concerned, climate change is causing existing problems, to the point that they are critical. But if a farmer is using regenerative methods and is not altering the soil, he mitigates a great deal of the effects of climate change, by generating organic matter. And the more organic matter you have in the soil, the more water retention capacity you will have.

Adopting regenerative farming practices helps farmers cope with climate change, by making their farms more resilient and adaptable to what is happening, since they can take measures to combat it in the long term by being part of a solution. extends to the crisis, through carbon sequestration.

Helping in Agriculture Growth

When plants perform photosynthesis, they take carbon dioxide from the air and, using the sun's energy, water and nutrients from the soil, transform it into carbon that the plant uses to grow leaves, stems and roots. The excess carbon created through this process is transported down the plant and stored in the surrounding soil, sequestering the carbon in the soil.

This carbon is called soil organic carbon and feeds microbes and fungi, which in turn provide nutrients for the plant. This carbon is the main component of soil organic matter, providing more structure to the soil and allowing it to store more water.

Carbon remains in the soil for thousands of years, or is rapidly released into the atmosphere when preparing the soil for planting by mechanical agitation methods such as digging, stirring and dumping.

As you can see, regenerative agriculture is beneficial for everyone, since it leads to better and more resistant crops, cultivated using sustainable methods that, at the same time, fight a crisis that represents a threat to all agriculture.

And that is why some of the world's biggest brands are joining sustainable farming techniques.

Many manufacturers of some of their favorite cereals, granola bars and other foods, support regenerative agriculture in multiple ways. Some of these large companies have partnered with other organizations to develop resources and training to help farmers adopt these practices, including regenerative sourcing programs for some of their brands, allowing consumers to identify food from farms verified in techniques for increasing water, soil and climatic health.

How Regenerative Agriculture Works?

If you want more information you can read the following key techniques involved in regenerative agriculture:

Conservation Tillage

Plowing and tillage erode the soil and release large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, also giving rise to a type of soil that creates a hostile environment for important soil microbes.

When farmers adopt null or low tillage techniques, they are contributing to minimizing the physical alteration of the soil and, over time, increasing the levels of soil organic matter, creating healthier and more resilient environments for plants to thrive, as well as maintaining more and more carbon where it should be.

Diversity

The functions of plants in sustainable agriculture are varied, such as releasing different types of carbohydrates (sugars) through their roots, and several microbes feed on these carbohydrates and return all kinds of nutrients to the plant and soil.

By increasing the diversity of plants in their fields, farmers manage to create rich, varied and nutrient dense soils that lead to more productivity.

Rotation and Cover Crops

If the soil is exposed to the elements, it will erode and the nutrients necessary for better plant growth will dry out or in the worst case they will disappear. Another fact to keep in mind is that planting the same plants in the same place can generate an accumulation of some nutrients and the lack of others.

But by rotating crops and deploying cover crops strategically, farms and gardens can obtain soils with more organic matter from the soil, often avoiding diseases and pest problems naturally.

Mess with it Less

In addition to minimizing physical disturbances, the majority of professionals in regenerative and sustainable agriculture is cautious with the chemical or biological activities they perform and which can also damage soil health in the long term.

Incorrect application of fertilizers and other soil treatments can alter the natural relationship between microorganisms and plant roots.

[nattiam-us]

How to Choose the Best Eco-Friendly Garden Furniture

You have bought a new home, or simply, you want to redecorate your current house and you were wondering which is the best way to start when it is time to start choosing garden furniture.

There are a lot of different ways to choose and select one or another style, however, it is very important to have a green conscience and try to think a little bit in the materials and ways which these furnitures were made in order to support and preserve our planet to future generations.

For this reason, I have prepared this post to you. Because I want to help you make easier and faster decisions, and of course, inspire you with different references and ideas about which are the most important choices you may make about furniture distribution, spaces organization, styles and colors.

Outdoor Spaces: Comfortables and well planned

The general distribution and decoration in a house must have personality. Indoor and outdoor spaces need to have a balance between them and the only way to get this job done is through a good planning.

The first step is to observe and think about the general color palette. Are your walls painted in Terracota and is your couch light green? You should note this and look for good combination of colors which compliments them. The general color palette will give you visual peace and balance when you change from one room to another.

Imagine for a moment having a yellow couch with red walls in the living room and blue walls in the bedroom, it would be weird, right? We all want an ideal situation in our home with good taste in colors, furniture and distribution to fully enjoy our daily days.

The same happens when it is the time to redecorate our garden or patio. These outdoor spaces need to combine with the rest of the house giving it a full sensation of balance and wellness.

The best way to get it, it is through eco-friendly garden furniture.

However, it is a mistake thinking that you need have a big outdoor garden or patio to enjoy it to the fullest. Actually, smaller outdoor spaces are much better that the big ones because it forces you to not complicate the decoration with a large number of furniture or decor items.

The first step I recommend for you is to stand in front of the space and think about the way you are going to use it in your daily life. Will it be a rest place or maybe you prefer organize dinners, barbecues or pool parties? This specifications are very important because they will help you choose the different furniture, colors and distribution you will need.

Once you have decide, the next step is to organize the space. Of course, the organization will depend on the space you have available.

What about starting with a table with some chairs to have a place where your family can eat and speak together during fresh summer nights? This is outdoor furniture that every garden or patio needs and a good way to start choosing the distribution.

Next step would be thinking about the material.

Durability: The key concept to your garden furniture

As you know, garden furniture use to be exposed to rain, wind, sun and humidity. For this reason, you will need a material which has durability. There are different kinds of eco-friendly woods in the market but I recommend you choosing eco-friendly furniture made with bamboo, willow and/or rattan palm vine.

The main reasons why I recommend this kind of wood is because they are used in the manufacturing of the oldest outdoor furniture. Most of them have the natural ability to grow very fast unlike other kind of trees which need long periods to reach full growth.

On the other hand, for those people who prefer to use metal in their eco-friendly garden furniture, my recommendation is to use aluminium or stainless steel. They look modern, clean and are able to face different weather conditions and stay as nice as the first day. The electro polished, tubular stainless steel frames and lightweight and easy to carry aluminium are able to resist erosion and bring a beauty chic style to your outdoor space.

Eco-Friendly Material List to Decorate Your Garden and Preserve the Planet.

I have given you some tips and references to start choosing your eco-friendly garden furniture, styling and colors. Now, I want you to have a look to these eco-friendly materials and choose the best alternatives according with your styling taste and materials.

There are a plenty of different materials so you won’t have any problem to find the ones which fit with your garden!

The three types of sustainable materials that work best for outdoor garden furniture are:

Hard-Wearing, Durable Woods: Bamboo, willow and rattan palm vine. They are resistant and fast-growing woods.

Recycled Plastic: High density polyethylene (HPDE) makes recycled plastics durable, water resistant and low maintenance. Also, it is basically impervious to all weather conditions.

Stainless steel or Aluminium: Stainless steel is electro polished, tubular stainless steel frames and lightweight. Aluminium is easy to carry. Choose these metals which include a higher percentage of recycled content.

As you see, there are a plenty of sustainable possibilities to decorate or redistribute your garden. The use of eco-friendly outdoor furniture helps to the planet through a sustainable way and offer us the same - or even more - benefits that the normal manufactured non-sustainable materials.